Next step for Nelson? A walk down the Hall
By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News
As a coach, Avery Johnson often has to watch what he says. But when the subject comes to Don Nelson's nomination for the Basketball Hall of Fame, Johnson refuses to bite his tongue.
Nelson's induction should be a slam-dunk, Johnson believes. And there are Nellie-backers from California to New York – OK, maybe not New York. But the former Mavericks revival leader has lots of support for him as the voters weigh his portfolio.
Johnson says there's nothing to weigh.
"My point is, what's the argument?" Johnson said. "There's no argument. It's a no-brainer."
Nelson was nominated during All-Star weekend. He has the second-most coaching victories (1,190) in NBA history. He won five championships as a player, but coaching is the primary reason for voters to elect him into the Springfield, Mass., hall later this year.
He resurrected two franchises, Golden State and Dallas, and maxed-out his teams in Milwaukee, not to mention with the Warriors and Mavericks. We can forgive that brief stopover with the Knicks as an aberration.
Recently, Nelson's merits as a Hall of Famer have been called into question. But when it comes to a body of work in regard to contributions to the game, it's hard to argue against the man who thought quicker on his feet than perhaps any coach in history. He forgot more great basketball strategies than some coaches ever know.
And he's largely responsible for helping build the Mavericks team that is 44-11 and has a good shot at winning the Western Conference.
"Everybody says he didn't win a championship as a coach, but look at everybody who's in the Hall who doesn't have a ring," said Del Harris, who has worked with or against Nelson virtually his whole career. "My key point is that none of the teams he's coached were good enough to win the whole thing. But did he get the most out of them that you could? Yes."
And there's another key to Nelson's legacy aside from pure longevity. As one e-mailer pointed out recently, Nelson should be commended for knowing when to step aside and allow Avery Johnson to take over the Mavericks.
Nelson knew enough to know his style was starting to earn diminishing returns from the Mavericks. Johnson has the benefit of being 23 years younger than Nelson. As such, he has the passion to worry about details and the tolerance to put up with a lot of things that, after a couple decades, tend to rub a coach raw.
"I'm just humbled to be nominated," Nelson says. "Whatever happens after that is fine."
As long as it includes his enshrinement somewhere down the line, he'll get no argument here.
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